https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/article-category/stoves-buying-guides How to Properly Install and Maintain an Outdoor Wood Burner Outdoor wood burners, often called wood boilers, appear like small sheds that have the appearance of a small smoke stack. They heat water or a mixture of water and antifreeze which is then circulated around your home. When used with dry wood and EPA-approved outdoor boilers, they offer an eco-friendly alternative to fossil heating. They still produce a lot of smoke. Energy Efficiency Wood heat is a common choice for heating homes for centuries. With the fluctuating costs of fossil fuels wood heat is an attractive alternative for a lot of. Wood boilers are not all built with the same effectiveness. In general, models that utilize wood gasification are more efficient than traditional outdoor wood furnaces. There are many elements that affect the energy efficiency of an OWB. One factor is the quality and quantity of firewood. It is important to select only firewood that has been dried and seasoned for at least six months, and best for a whole year. Dry firewood releases more heat into the atmosphere than green, wet wood. It also produces more efficiently and emits less pollution. Another aspect is the boiler's combustion efficiency which is the percentage of heat energy converted into useful heat by the stove. Many manufacturers boast about their OWBs' efficiency in combustion however, it is vital to look for the efficiency that is delivered. The latter is a measure of how much heat produced by the wood is delivered to your home. In the end, it is essential to properly operate the OWB to ensure its efficiency. This means cleaning it and ensuring that the vent is maintained on a regular basis. The flue vent should also be cleaned weekly during the heating season in order to reduce the amount smoke produced by the stove and avoid clogging. In contrast to indoor stoves that are located within your home, an OWB is located between 100 and 200